Percy Jackson prologue before the son of Neptune
by bigfatmoose
Summary: This is a prologue to the son of Neptune. Do not read unless you've read the Last Olympian, or better yet, the Lost Hero. In the story, Percy is given a dream by Hera. Could it be the key to Hera's plot?  sorry for the bad summary
1. Chapter 1

I Why I love Camp Halfblood

I know. It's strange arranging a date to be under the river, but being the son of Poseidon, it's no problem. I don't have to breathe, and I can make a simple air bubble for two. It's also a great opportunity to see Annabeth in a bikini, and trust me, I will take pictures. Anyways, underwater, you can just look up and you can still see everything crystal- clear, i.e. the group ready to ambush us when Annabeth comes.

So I continued staring up calmly, until an invisible force pushed my off balance and entered the air bubble.

"Well it isn't Wise girl herself." I said, still registering from the shock.

"Admit it Seaweed brain," she said laughing, "That was the shock of your life."

"Never," I managed, "The shock of my life was me kissing you."

She playfully shoved me, and I took a better look at her. She was wearing a hot pink bikini and her owl earrings."

"Borrowed something off Drew?" I smirked.

"Well she's obviously not as nice as Silena, but I guess we can manage with her as head of Aphrodite. Anyways, I needed it."

"What? Why…"

I didn't get to finish my question, because she had locked me in a steel grip and was kissing me. Unfortunately, that was when the team striked.

"Get them!" yelled Clarisse, and the whole of Cabin 5 and 11 ran towards us. Connor and Travis Stoll each held a camera, and were rapidly snapping pictures of us, while the others held us while we struggled. The only thing I thought of when I was shutting my eyes with embarrassment was that I wanted to be somewhere private. I felt a rush of bubbles and cold sea water, and then it was all quiet.

After a few minutes, Annabeth tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Uhhh Percy, where are we?" I opened my eyes and saw that we were in a room underwater, and it was imbedded with seashells and illuminated by large pearls. There was a large bed with green silk sheets emblazoned with a trident. There was a chest of drawers and a Playstation. I smiled. Dad had finished remodeling and building my room.

"This is your room?" asked Annabeth in astonishment.

"I guess so." I said with a smile.

The next few hours were amazing. I won't go into details on what we did, but it was the best date ever. It was way better than the time Annabeth brought me to the Smithsonian. I don't know how anyone would like that place, but I guess Annabeth does. She was horrified when I yawned, dragging me to a corner and lecturing about the importance of learning. Well, like mother like daughter I guess, since Athena is the goddess of wisdom.

An alarm clock suddenly beeped. We were wrapped in an afghan watching Titanic, when we realized it was time to go back. So I squeezed my eyes shut and imagined the best place in the world: Camp Half-blood. I could feel the rush of the air bubble travelling back to the Long Island Sound, and it was an exhilarating experience. When we got back, I wanted to do it again, but sadly, we had run out of time. So I checked around for campers, and when there were none, I gave Annabeth her goodnight kiss and stood there, staring at Annabeth's retreating figure with a satisfied smile.


	2. Chapter 2

II Remind me why I hate dreams

After I had said goodnight to Annabeth, I trudged back to my cabin alone. Hey don't get me wrong, it's great being head counselor, but it gets lonely sometimes. Tyson is head of the Cyclopes now, so he doesn't really have time to come and relax at camp. I'd invite Annabeth now, but that would be suicide. The harpies would get her, and who knows what Mr. D would do to us? We'd probably get zapped into bottles of sauvignon blanc. Anyways, as I wrapped my silk sheets around my shoulders, how bad could sleep get?

As usual, I was wrong. I should asked Clovis to give me a dream about Annabeth. But nooo, he had to be sleeping. That kid does nothing but sleep. I wonder if Morpheus is the same. No wonder he's a minor god (Just kidding sir.)

I found myself being shaken awake by two girls. They were both wearing Roman tunics. One was fair- haired, and she reminded me of Annabeth. The other looked like Bianca, apart from her eyes. She had solemn gold eyes, and well, I had to cringe. I mean, they're not Kronos's eyes, but you know, the thought of him still gives me the heebie- jeebies.

She led me through unfamiliar streets, where people were being sold. This isn't right, I thought. Slave trades are banned. This must be like, in Greece when the gods were worshipped. The girls brought me to a house with a large lemon tree. Two dogs came to greet us, along with two boys. I couldn't understand their conversation. They were speaking this strange language. So I spoke up and said in Greek, "Who are you, and what am I doing here? All eyes turned towards me, and the blonde girl said in halting Greek, "My name is Flavia, and this is Nubia, Jonathan and Lupus," indicating each one in turn. A young man suddenly came through the door, and I noticed that the one called Nubia was blushing fiercely.

After Flavia had introduced me to her tutor Aristo, they invited me in, and I started a conversation with Aristo:

"So how's it going buddy? I think Nubia likes you."

"ANYWAYS, so Perseus, how did you manage to come to Rome?"

"Rome? What am I doing in Rome? What year is this?"

"This is" he said, consulting his tablet, "the day after the Nones of December in the consulship of Titus and Domitian Caesar."

"Never heard of them. I swear Rome isn't part of Greece. I never paid attention at school."

"School? Did you go to the Quintilian?" he asked, eyes shining brightly.

"No, I'm a regular high school student who lives in New York!"

"What is this New York? Even Pliny's never mentioned about it."

"Considering that we're speaking Greek, it won't be founded in like a thousand years!"

He turned away, frightened at my sudden outburst. He called for somebody. Doctor Mordecai, I think. This heavily lidded man wearing a turban brought me a cup of liquid and said in a strange accent, "These poppy tears will bring you deep slumber. When you wake, call for me."

As I drank the liquid, I slipped into unconsciousness. The last thing I saw was a goddess with hazel hair and fair skin whispering, "These are strange times demigod. Beware."


	3. Chapter 3

III I meet the strongest guy ever

In turn, I found myself in a throne room, not unlike the one on the 600th floor. Obviously, I was really small here, like an ant in a mansion. But some things were different. The thrones for example. They were much larger and grander, and they weren't so high tech. Hephaestus's La-Z-Boy recliner wasn't there anymore, but there was this old age recliner. I shook my head in dismay when I saw my father's throne. Why he would ever sit on an octopus shaped throne, I would never understand.

I walked over to the large windows which were shaped into the symbol of each of the 12 gods and goddesses. Instinctively, I went to the trident shaped one, and glanced out at the magnificent scenery. You could see everything here. I saw little marketplaces, and the little people scurrying like mice. I was so enraptured by the sight that I didn't notice a person was watching me. As I felt a presence, I whipped up Riptide and braced myself for the worst.

"I understand what it's like being a demigod, Percy, but one thing you should learn: don't mess with a god."

As my eyes registered with the figure, I ran down my list of gods. This guy looked like the buff version of Zeus, with bulging muscles. Then I realized, I was standing next to the strongest man in the world. My jaw dropped as I barely stammered, "H- Heracles?"

The guy snorted. "A bit slow these days aren't we Percy?" as two chairs flickered into existence. "It's Hercules nowadays. Not that anyone cares. They don't think that I'm a god."

"But, you're not supposed to be one. I swear I saw you in Elysium last time I was there."

"Ha," he scoffed, "That, is the mortal part of me. What you see now is the godly part."

"Wait. So I'm gonna become a god when I die?"

"Not unless you're granted immortality, which I think you were. But you turned it down. That seriously damaged my dad's ego." He pulled out a laptop, and checked his schedule. "Uh- oh."

"What?" I said, reading a love poem that Hebe had sent him.

He snapped the laptop shut and said, "First, the love letters are private. PRIVATE you hear me?" he then jabbed me in the chest, "But the more important thing is, they're going to have a meeting now. So skedaddle."

"I can't. This is a dream."

"Ahh, trespassing into Olympus with a dream eh? Should have thought of that." He chuckled, amused. "No wonder you got to travel 1500 years ago."

"Wait. What? 1500 years?"

"By the gods, you're dense. Can't you see we're in the Roman times right now?"

"Is this why you're wearing a Roman tunic?"

"Yeah, but I can change clothes. Look Percy, I've been sent to guide you in your dream today, so I can slip back from the ancient world to the modern easily. That's why I have a laptop even when it wasn't invented yet. I think Morpheus allowed me to do this because of my mother." His mouth twisted into an ugly grimace. "The only thing I got told was to guide you."

"Ohh kay, but won't your dad see us? He hates me."

"OK, I don't think you're getting the concept of this. You aren't born yet, so my dad doesn't know you. And anyways, his ego is so big, he would hardly notice us."

I smiled and said, "Spoken like a true kid of Zeus."

"Oh yeah, I forgot. How's Thalia doing? She's a Hunter of Artemis right?"

"Yup. She's immortal now."

"Wrong word Percy. She's immortally annoying! But we have to stop talking, because here come the Olympians."


	4. Chapter 4

IV The Olympian council

The god's simply winked into existence. One second the thrones are empty, the next second, well you get the idea. The gods never change. Well, maybe their clothes, but not their actions or personalities. Aphrodite is still fixing her hair in front of a large mirror while lounging on her hot pink recliner. Demeter was eating cereal and talking to Athena at the same time. But Hera was staring straight at me. The other gods seemed oblivious to the fact that I was there, but I'm sure Hera wasn't. When Zeus finally thundered into the throne room, my dad was still missing. Zeus roared, "Neptune!" and let loose a loud clap of thunder.

"Neptune?" I asked Heracles.

"He means your father."

"I know, I know. But why not just call him Poseidon?"

Then, my dad sauntered in the room, eating ambrosia. Zeus glared murderously at him and bellowed, "Do you dare defy the master of this house Neptune? Are you too proud to join us in council?" My dad muttered something in a language I couldn't understand.

"Dude, what did my dad just say?"

"He just swore in Latin, that's all."

"Latin? My dad knows Latin?"

"Um, hello? We're in the Roman times right now. What did you think, they spoken Romanian?"

I blushed and said, "Blame it on the dyslexia, I never listen in class."

We turned our attention back to the Olympians. They were debating about something, something that would add to the war that I had just fought in.

Zeus: I don't think Hades should be allowed to have a throne here in Olympus.

Poseidon: Brother, it is just fair. Nemesis will have her revenge on you for unbalancing the powers.

(Well duh, Hades only helped because of Nico. Anyways, back to the conversation)

Zeus: Don't "brother" me Poseidon! Do I have to remind you that I have the ultimate power as King of the Gods.

Poseidon: And a large ego too.

Zeus: What was that brother?

Poseidon: Nothing. Just that Mother Rhea liked me more.

Athena: ENOUGH! We should bring it to a vote. Those in favour, raise your palms in approval.

Most of the hands went up. I counted Demeter, Athena, Poseidon, Hephaestus, Apollo, Artemis and Hermes. The others abstained from the vote.

Poseidon: Then it's decided. Hades will be allowed a throne in Olympus, as will Hestia to balance it. Do you agree Lord Jupiter?

Zeus: Neptune, you seem to have forgotten. Minerva, the ancient laws state that the king gets a double vote right?

Minerva: Yes my lord. However…

Zeus: I'm sure Juno should have another vote as queen of gods. That would make the vot equal, yes?

Minerva: Yes my lord. But what…

Zeus: Surely having the king of gods on one side is an advantage. Therefore, the side that wins is mine.

Poseidon: Lord Jupiter, that is not just. You cannot use your presence as an advantage.

Zeus: I sure can Neptune. It's not my fault Mother Rhea didn't pick you.

"Enough!" said Artemis, slipping off her throne. Even as a 13 year old girl, she brought the attention of everyone in the room. "Even though I agree with my uncle Neptune that this isn't fair, but there is a larger matter at hand. I have discovered that the people at Herculaneum and Pompeii have stopped worshipping us." A collective gasp was audible. "My Lord Neptune, what do you think we should do?"

Zeus asked, "Vulcan. Do you not have a volcano in Pompeii?"

"I do, my lord. Do you…"

"I propose that we blow up the place."

"My lord, surely that's a bit harsh. You'll also destroy the wonderful boutique they have there…" said Aphrodite

"Silence, Venus. I'm sure you'll find another. But these people deserve to be punished."

"Will there be any survivors sir? Maybe Admiral Pliny?" asked Hermes tentatively

"I'm sorry Mercury, but his death has been decreed by the Fates. But there will be survivors. So it's been decided. Vulcan, you will unleash your volcano on those atheists in Pompeii!"

Zeus then slammed his master bolt and was gone. My dad sullenly disappeared, as did the other gods. All apart from Hera. With an icy smile, she walked towards me and said, "Well, well, well. Perseus Jackson. Did you enjoy the little dream I orchestrated for you?"

"Wait a second. You did this to me?

"Obviously. Who else here would have the wit and charm to convince Morpheus?"

"Let's see. Athena for starters. How's plaguing Annabeth with the cow poo."

"Not well, but it's not the point. I am already taking a great risk sending you this dream."

"Thanks," I said sarcastically. "Can I go back now?"

"Unfortunately, that cannot happen. You still have a few hours in the dream, and I have no idea what to do with you."

"He can hang out at my place," said Heracles. "Anything's better than doing nothing in a dream, trust me."

"Fine. But you know your limits my son." Hera's lips twisted as she said "son". "I will take my leave."

I looked away. I didn't want to die looking at the cow goddess in her true form, and I certainly didn't want to be incinerated. So I followed Heracles out of the throne room, and into his mansion. And what I say, well, blew me off my feet.


	5. Chapter 5

V I hang out with

Muscleman himself

First thing you should know, Olympian mansions might look small and plain on the outside, but when you go inside, wow. Apart from magic, there was no way you could fit such a large interior in that house. I passed a kitchen that was the size of my mom's apartment and rooms the size of a park. We finally stopped walking when we got to a room labeled "Muscle room for muscle man). I stared at Heracles. "Seriously? Muscle man? Why not just go with Heracles?" "Jeez," said Heracles blushing, "It's my room, not yours."

So when we got into the room, Heracles started lifting weights while I stared at the window.

Wait a second. This isn't Greece or New York. Where are we?" I asked, confused.

"Umm, we're kind of in Hong Kong." He said.

"Hong Kong? How? What?" I was at a loss for words.

Heracles grunted as he lifted the dumbbell and said, "Well, don't you like the view? I think it's quite nice. You can see the whole of Hong Kong Island here."

"But that's beside the point! How did we get from Mount Olympus to here?

"Well, you know how my dad likes Chinese food? Well I do too. But I like real Chinese food." He flexed his muscles. "Hong Kong's pretty cool. It's like a smaller version of New York City.

"Are you going to spend the whole day weightlifting?" I asked, annoyed.

"Heck no, we can have a nice chat here. So, anything you want to talk about?"

"Yeah. My mom says that the lives of demigods end badly. Considering that you probably had the worst luck out of all of them, how did you die?"

"It's really hard to explain. Let me see." Heracles suddenly jerked forward and gently touched my forehead, and the room disappeared.

I suddenly found myself standing near a sacrificial altar next to Heracles, who was wearing a Greek chiton. He ignored me, and he sacrificed an ox's entrails to the gods. His servant gave him a cloak, telling him that it was a gift from his wife, Deinara. As the sun shone down on Heracles as he was praying, the cloak suddenly melted into his skin. He cried out in pain as if he had fire on him, and he caught hold of the servant and flung him far away with his massive strength in pain. He tried ripping the cloak off, but he ripped his own flesh off. In desperation, he crawled around the forest in agony, searching for a river to cool and cleanse his wounds.

When he finally found one, he dived in, hoping to ease the pain. However, the river he had jumped into was known for its boiling water, so his wounds burned with even more pain. He was met by the son of a fellow Argonaut Philoctetes, and he begged him to build a funeral pyre.

As Philoctetes was building the altar, he explained to Heracles what had happened as Deinara had committed suicide. "The cloak was given to her by Nessus, but she thought it was a cloak to induce love. She didn't realize that Nessus had coated it with Hydra poison and his blood, making it fatal to its wearer. After she found out about her mistake, she stabbed herself in shame and grief. Heracles then calmed down and stopped cursing Deinara.

After the pyre was finished, Heracles climbed upon it weakly, and using his last breath, he bade farewell to Philoctetes and allowed him to access his home anytime. Then, he took the torch from Philoctetes, and burned himself alive. As he did so, screaming in pain, a lightning bolt hit the pyre and the body of Heracles was gone, and his mortal soul had moved on to Elysium. However, the immortal part rose up to Mount Olympus, where the gods had greeted him and invited him to be a god.

When I woke up, I saw that Heracles had moved on to another dumbbell. So I asked him, "Was I out for so long?"

"Oh good, your awake. You were knocked out for, what an hour?"

"An hour? Gods this is embarrassing."

Heracles chuckled and said, "Now you know how I died. What do you think?"

"I'm sorry about your wife." I muttered.

"Nahh, that's okay. I've got Hebe now, and she's way hotter. I think I've got to send you back now."

"Hold on a second. You know the stuff you said about Romans? What…"

I didn't get to finish my question. Heracles and his mansion were soon fading from my view, and as I feel into complete darkness, I heard a voice, distinctively Hera's, saying, "Remember what you have seen today Perseus. Or, actually don't." and my dream ended with the sound of her cruel laughter, as I woke up screaming.


	6. Chapter 6

VI A fail of a Greek lesson

I woke up with a start, screaming my head off. Then I realized that no one was watching me, and that Hera wasn't there. As I was getting changed, I thought that in saw someone watching me, but when I turned around, there wasn't. So I went back to my daily schedule, Greek with Annabeth. On my way to her cabin, I tried my hardest not to think about my dream, but Hera's last message freaked me out. What did she mean by "remember it"? The only time the queen of gods was nice to me was when the Titan war was raging all around us. Anyways, I tried to maintain my usual composure as I knocked on the door of the Athena cabin.

The Athena cabin is usually really tidy, but it wasn't today. Annabeth's bed was strewn with clothes and blueprints. As I went in, all the Athena campers cleared out, leaving me and Annabeth alone. I could see them watching us outside. Gods they're annoying. Annabeth was so absorbed that she didn't notice me. But when I tapped her on the neck, she whipped out her knife and pointed it at my chest. She grinned and said, "Not so fast huh, Seaweed Brain? Let's get on with the Greek then."

When I translated "The lion struggled against the mighty Heracles' massive strength" to "the tiny Heracles listened to the lion" Annabeth asked in exasperation, "Percy, what is up with you today? I've never seen you so bothered." I looked from the book to Annabeth, and was met by her stormy grey eyes, trying to extract information from me and analyzing my expression. She finally came to the conclusion, "You're cheating on me, aren't you?"

"No!" I said immediately. I was horrified that she had come to that conclusion. "It's just, well things are complicated."

"What? Is it my hair? Do you think I'm to brainy? Am I too sloppy with fashion? I actually have lots of different clothes, I mean, I have nail polish, mascara...

"Did you just say that you had mascara?" I asked, trying to compress my laughter.

"Knock it off, Seaweed Brain. Why won't you just tell me what your worried about?"

"Well, I had this strange dream yesterday, and apparently, Hera arranged it."

At the sound of Hera's voice, Annabeth's eyes became angry slits. "Hera did this to you? First she sends me intestinally challenged cows, and now she's messing with you? This is going way too far. I'm getting Chiron. She is not getting away with this."

"Annabeth, as much as I hate Hera, she's a goddess and she probably needs us. So chill,I'm sure she means well."

"Fine. But if she puts one more toe out of line, I swear by the Styx that..."

"Let it go Annabeth, she's not worth it."

A conch horn suddenly blared, signalling the meeting for head counsellors. We walked out of the Athena cabin together, and headed towards the Big House where Chiron and Mr. D were waiting for us. Or so we thought. When we got there, Chiron looked really nervous and was staring at the sky. You see, naturally, camp halfblood has magical barriers for the weather, so I didn't get what Chiron was staring at. A storm parted around us, but for some reason, it drew closer. Even though it avoided us, a scenario like this hasn't happened since Zeus's bolt was taken by Luke and Ares. I was so dumbfounded at the weather, that when Annabeth finally nudged me, all I could say was, "Zeus is a really bad painter." The sky rumbled and I smelled a hint of ozone tainting the air. Lightning suddenly hit a tree nearby, and neatly split it in two. Chiron looked at it calmly, and said to me, "Percy, Zeus hates you already. Don't make him fry you into nothing."

"what? I'm just saying the truth."

"what's the truth?" said Connor and Travis Stoll. From their surnames, you could tell that they were the sons of Hermes. With the crooked smiles and comical noses, you could brand them as troublemakers anytime. I put my hand in my pocket instinctively, because no wallet is safe when they're near.

"Come on Percy," Travis said, "we're not going to steal your stuff. We can't lose your alliance in capture the flag tonight."

"Yeah, and we've already stolen clarisse's wallet and sprayed it pink." said Connor, snickering.

"Well, here she comes boys." said Annabeth, "and you'd better hide. She's got Lamer with her."

Being the daughter of Ares, it's pretty obvious that Clarisse's is violent. Especially when someone messes with her stuff. And no one can stand in her way, apart from her boyfriend Chris. Basically all the counsellors had to hold her down to avoid the deaths of Connor and Travis. We all got scratched and kicked in the face, and Clarisse's didn't stop until Chiron finally said, "Enough! Let the meeting begin."


	7. Author's note

I know that this sounds really cheesy and that everyone always says the same things, but I don't know if I should continue this story, because no one is reviewing it. If you like the chapter or you think the story has some problems, can you please review? Because I'd really like to improve my writing skills. The more review I get, the faster chapters will be produced. Chapters are coming much slower now, because I'm currently writing a longer one and I have school exams coming up.

Thanks

bigfatmoose


	8. Chapter 7

VII Let the meeting begin

I attempted to learn the names of the new campers and counselors over the summer, but I'm not so sure I can name them all, but here goes:

Me for Poseidon

Annabeth for Athena

Jake for Hephaestus

Will for Apollo

Lou Ellen for Hecate

Clovis for Morpheus

Butch for Iris

Portia for Janus

Helene for Hebe

Katie for Demeter

The stolls for Hermes

Clarisse and Chris for Ares (Chris is there just in case Clarisse loses her temper)

Nico for Hades

No one for Artemis (Thalia)

The list goes on. With new campers come almost every night, it's hard to keep track on them. Sometimes, I feel like the new campers are afraid of me and Annabeth. I guess I felt that way when I was in the Hermes cabin 4 years ago with Luke.

Everyone was silent until Nico broke the ice, saying, "Where's our most beloved Mr. D Chiron? Shouldn't he be here?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to all of you about. Last night, Mr. D was reclaimed back to Olympus. I was just wondering whether any-"

Chiron suddenly froze. So did all the other campers, actually. Apart from me. I had quite a lot of fun messing with the other counselors when they weren't moving. I poured a bucket of water on Clarisse's head, and I braided Clovis' hair. I was prepared to take the Stolls' clothes off until I heard a voice say, "Hello young cousin, enjoying yourself?"

I was so shocked that I instinctively uncapped Riptide and lunged. Two seconds later, I found myself with my sword around Hermes' throat. "Whoops," I said. "Thought you might have been Ares."

"You know Percy," he said, rubbing his neck, "You could pass as a son of Hermes. Braiding Clovis' hair. Epic."

"Sorry about the knife at your throat sir," I said, feeling a bit ashamed. "What brings you here?"

"Well, I couldn't help eavesdropping on your meeting, and I thought that it would be the perfect time for me to give you your packages."

"Packages? No one ever sends me things."

"Well, they do now. Okay, the first is a DVD from Hephaestus, which should answer all your questions." He said, handing me a golden DVD. "But here's the piece de resistance from Apollo, your father and I- an iPad."

"Really? You got me an iPad? Thanks!"

"Let me explain. We modified the iPad especially for you, and we thought that you should have it, considering you're the leader of camp. Apollo will keep downloading the latest music, because he thinks that music should be present at every meal. I've made loads of websites, so you can be in charge of seeing what's happening on Olympus, the most recent problems in the world and the latest weapons. Therefore, you can send quests. We also have a demigod tracking device on this, so you can tell the satyrs where they should go, and send reinforcements just in case."

"Wow, thanks. But what did my dad do?"

"Well, he added a few apps, allowing you to change the language from Ancient Greek to any other. Therefore, you can communicate with anyone across the world. He also mentioned something about homework."

My ears went red. I was known for banging my head on the wall and cursing my dyslexia when I did my homework. "Is that it?" I said, hoping my dad didn't just go all the way to embarrass me.

"Well, the last thing is that he wants you to keep in touch with friends and family, so I pleaded Iris to make some kind of app which can allow you to IM a person from the iPad, no mist needed. You just need to put a drachma in this hole," he said, indicating the spot. "Oh, I nearly forgot. This stuffed tiger head is from Dionysus to the whole camp. He says that the note attached will explain everything.

"Thanks Hermes. How are things going on in Olympus? Are the gods still quarrelling over petty things?"

Hermes' face darkened as he said, "I'm not allowed to tell. And Zeus will have my head if he realizes that I have left Olympus. Use your things well Perseus. But I must take my leave."

"Goodbye Hermes, I'll see you soon then. And Martha and George obviously." averted my eyes as Hermes took his true form and disappeared. I snapped my fingers, and suddenly time started again. Chiron was still saying, "anyone's heard from their immortal parents." He finally noticed me with my sword uncapped, holding a boatload of stuff. "Percy, what are you-"

He was interrupted by Clarisse's screaming, "Prissy, you got me wet! You're gonna pay!"

Chiron then said, "Clarisse, you can sort this out later. I would just like to know, along with everyone else, why Percy is standing and what he's holding."

I said, "Well, Hermes said that the DVD would answer all our questions." I handed Jake the disc, and he put it into the TV, and we all watched as the film started to play

Start of video

Dionysus: What is the purpose of this meeting father? I appreciate you giving me a getaway from the little brats, but why now?

Artemis: My lord, if possible could we get through this meeting quickly? My hunters await my return. We are pursuing a pack of hellhounds.

Zeus: Silence! We will start when everyone one is here. Curse Poseidon, where is he?

Poseidon: Here my lord.

Zeus: Finally, we can begin. We were all just waiting for you, BROTHER. Now take off your headphones apollo, and stop glowering at Hephaestus, Ares.

Apollo: Fine. But please can we get on with it? I have some haikus to write.

Zeus: We will start when I want to! (lightning bolt appeared in his hand)

Hades: A flair for the dramatic...

Zeus: Hades! Do you long to be sent to Tartarus?

Athena: Peace, everyone. Let's listen to what Zeus has to say.

Zeus: thank you Athena. I would just like everyone to swear on the river Styx to not create war from the law I am enforcing now.

All the gods: we swear on the river Styx (thunder rumbled)

Zeus: Alright then. From here on, no one, I repeat, NO ONE, is allowed to visit their demigod children.

Poseidon: what is your angle from this brother? We can't just ignore our children.

Athena: for once, I agree with kelp head. Ignoring our children almost created our downfall. It would be a fatal strategic mistake. Even Percy Jackson, a mere demigod, could tell us that.

Zeus: don't even get me started on Percy Jackson! It's only because of him I am closing Olympus! The little upstart, daring to refuse our gifts! Well, this will be revenge! For his actions, all the demigods must pay!

Hermes: even the ones in the demigod legion, my lord? Remember that you swore on the river Styx to uphold your promise with Percy Jackson, and the burden may be heavy.

Zeus: yes even them! They deserve no mercy! I dont care, I'm a god, the fates can't affect me! That is all! (disappears with a loud clap of thunder)

Apollo: Father always had the flair for dramatic exits. I'm just going to hang around my palace. Wanna come, baby sis?

Artemis: no, Apollo, obviously not. I knave my hunters to attend to. I don't care what father says.

Ares: who am I supposed to invoke fights with? I know! Sour grapes, let's make a fight party.

Dionysus: fine, considering I have nothing better to do.

End of video

After the video, everyone in the rec room was silent. How could the gods just abandon us? They had sworn on the river Styx not to, as Hermes had warned Zeus. That stupid arrogant god, I thought. The sky rumbled. I couldnt resist raising swearing to Zeus. Chiron, noticing my anger, distracted me by saying, "Percy, what are the other gifts?"

"well, the iPad is for the Poseidon cabin and mostly me. I think all the cabins were supposed to receive one, but considering that olympus is closed, I'm pretty sure they won't, arrive in a long, long time."

"come on, that is so unfair. Our dad delivers yours to you, but not even one for us? What justice is that!" said Connor Stoll. Immediately, a gust of winos blew into the rec room, and when it had finally gone, each counsellor held an iPad or a Mac.

"sweet!" said Jake mason, head of Hephaestus, "but what do they do?"

"according to Hermes," I said, "they are attuned to your cabins needs."

"and what of the final gift, Percy? The uhhh tigers head?" asked Chiron.

"apparently, it's from mr. D. A little parting gift, I think." I said warily. None us liked mr. D, and the feelings were mutual. We were all quite surprised, because mr. D usually goes out of his way to annoy us: getting our names wrong, humiliating us in public... Let's just say that demigods don't have a good impression on mr. D because his immortal with was dumped by the brother of yours truly, Theseus. So mr. D generally loathes our presence.

"would you like to open your father's present, Pollux?" asked Chiron.

I passed the tiger head to Pollux. He took it carefully, and started reading the note mr. D had engraved on the wooden plague:

Dear brats and Chiron,

As you've noticed, the gods have gone silent, and I have been reclaimed. Hooray (no offense) I have to say that I have grown quite fond of camp, so as a parting gift, I leave to you Seymour. He was shot and stuffed, so I reanimated him. He likes eating sausages and roaring, so I suggest you start feeding him immediately. That's all. By the way, Chiron, you will notice that the decor of your room in the big house will have changed after Pollux has read this message to you all. A final word of warning: listen to Percy, Annabeth and Chiron. They are the true leaders of camp.

Dionysus aka Mr D,

12th Olympian.

"how about me!" exclaimed Clarisse's angrily,"have I done nothing to deserve the respect of Mr D! Annabeth only is a leader because she is prissy's girlfriend! And prissy-"

"that's enough Clarisse," said Chiron angrily,"well respect Mr D's final words whether you like it or not. This meeting is dismissed. Return to your activities and tell your cabinmates of our meeting."

Everyone else started going out. Will obviously to the basketball courts, clarisse's to the arena, Pollux to the strawberry fields blah blah blah. But I was still in shock, because the only other time mr D had acknowledged me correctly was when Typhon was destroying the US. Hera's last words echoed in my head, and I couldn't help but think that something bad was going to happen. But what could be worse than that of the titans and typhon? I was deep in thought when annabeth shook me and said, "Percy, come on. Time for training."


	9. Chapter 8

**IX I train younger kids**

Annabeth and I headed to the arena. We had to train the other cabins, because, firstly, we were the best sword and knife handlers and I currently hold the flag for capture the flag tonight with ares. I have allied with Athena (obviously), Apollo, Hades (nico suddenly shadow travelled into the arena), nemesis, Hecate and Hermes (about 60 people). Ares had allied themselves with everyone else. Annabeth was in a cornet, discussing strategy with the older campers while I was in charge of training the younger kids hand to hand combat. Nico and I took about 15 kids each, and we steered clear from the archery area where Will was training with his siblings. Trust me, an arrow can really hurt. So I took my group of campers, and I started the lesson,as Luke had with me 4 years ago.

"Let's start with the disarming technique," I said, "this might take a while to master, but once done, it can prove to be really useful."

"yeah, like how? How would you know?" asked a newbie. Travis punched him in the arm and said, "Alec, do you even know what he did last summer?"

Most of the demigods were silent. They had all come recently, and I am actually quite glad, because whenever anyone repeats the story, I tend to turn quite red. So I went to get a drink, but I still overheard their conversation.

"you know the freak storms last year in america? With all the earthquakes and such?" said Connor. All the kids nodded yes. Travis continued, "well, that was the second Titan war. And percy here saved Olympus and defeated Hyperion and Kronos." after hearing this, they were all awestruck. They were all quiet and respectful when I came over again, and to be honest, I felt quite uncomfortable. So I just said, "practice the disarming manoeuvre with a partner while duelling. 50 repetitions." they started to get to work immediately. None of them would partner with me, and I finally knew how Luke felt when people were terrified of his skill. So I just went into the corner and practiced with dummies.

Finally, a timid hecate girl came over to tell me they were done. I still had to look at their technique, so I said to them, "find a partner and start duelling. One by one. You are allied to use your powers or magical items." Everyone started grouping up immediately. After 5 minutes, a boy came up to me and said, shaking with nervousness, "M

r. Jackson, sir, ummm, I have to be your partner because there's no one left." It took me a while until I realised that he was afraid of me. So I replied kindly, "Don't worry, which cabin are you from?" He answered, "undetermined." "Well", I said, "just do the best you can. I'll go easy on you. Let's go watch the others first. And call me Percy, will you?" I shot him a smile. He returned it with a happy, "alright!" and scurried off to watch the others. I went over to where they had marked the circle, and the fights began.

The first pair was Chris and Connor. Chris was obviously the sword- fighter, and it's evident that his dates with Clarisse had something to do with sword fighting. However, Connor, being the sneaky guy, provoked Chris's fatal flaw: his anger. Chris had gotten Connor to the ground after a series of slashes and parries, but he wouldn't give up. "Surrender!" yelled Chris. "Never," said Connor, breathing hard, "they really taught you something in Titan training didn't they?" Chris glared at him, momentarily forgetting the sword at Connor's throat. Connor lunged for the hilt and was up again. "Bro," he said, while slashing at Chris, "this is why you never tell anyone about your fatal flaw." after lots of clanging, he finally managed to get a good sized cut on Chris's shirt until Chris kicked him on the floor with a snarl. Hard. In the ribs. Connor fell to the floor wheezing, doubling over and clutching his stomach. Chris pointed his swords and knife at Connor, and said, face red with fury, "You can do anything you like, but never, EVER" he yelled, glaring at everyone in the circle, "say anything about the Titan war. If I don't kill you, Clarisse will."

I decided to intervene. I didn't want campers killing each other, did I? "Chris," I said, "calm down. It's fine. It's just a duel, it's not serious." He looked like he was about to have a mental breakdown like he did after he had visited the labyrinth, so I asked for someone to get Clarisse. Unsurprisingly, she charged in after a few minutes, bellowing, "WHO DID THIS TO CHRIS AND HIS SHIRT! IT WAS **YOU WASN'T IT PUNK!" **she grabbed a white faced camper who was paralysed with fear. She started to hit him until Chris ran into the arena, holding an ice pack, saying, "It's fine Clarisse. I'll deal with it." "FINE!" She screamed, "but when I find the culprit," she glared at everyone and held her spear menacingly, "I'm going to cream the punk!"

Chris was obviously embarrassed when he led Clarisse outside. But I felt even worse for Connor, because Clarisse was bound to get the truth, one way or the other. The poor guy was positively horrified, because Clarisse was brutal and had no mercy. All the other campers were comforting him, until I calked for order. Then the duels began again. I felt like a teacher, commenting on their duel. But they didn't seem to mind. Finally, it was up to me and the other camper.

As we walked into the center of the circle, everyone was snickering. I felt sorry for the kid, so I whispered to him a plan that I had just made up, because I had a hunch of who his parent was. We both acted as if we were going to start the duel, when I snapped my fingers and created a mini earthquake, everyone but me and the new kid fell to the ground, and their eyes were glassy. I was amazed at how quickly the camper had picked up on his powers. "Good job," I said. "What did you send them?"

"well, I sent them into a dream where they can see us fighting. I've bought us about five minutes or so. I'm Drew, by the way." he said, holding out his hand.

"Percy." I said, returning the shake. "So, how did you manage to pick up on that so quickly? I've never seen a Hecate camper being able to manipulate dreams as well. It's as if-" I stopped and stared. A purplish glow symbolizing Hecate was surrounding Drew, but it had a black outline. At my four years of experience, this had never happened before. So I quickly told him to wake everyone up, and I ran over to the Big House. Only Chiron would know the answer to this. In the end, I ran back, and took Drew with me. Things were going to get complicated. When Chiron answered the door, he fainted as he saw Drew's aura. So we did the obvious. We called for help.


	10. Chapter 9

**IX Even after a hundred years, Chiron can still get surprised**

We waited at the foot of Chiron's bed in the Big , being the best healer, was watching over Chiron and muttering incantations. After half an hour, Chiron still wasn't awake. Will said that he had suffered a great shock, so he would wake up in an hour or so. He had already used a magic salve, which would increase the process. "Tell me when he wakes up, will you?" he said before going out.

Obviously, training was over. But unfortunately, Annabeth still didn't have a plan. So we left her and the other counsellors to it, while I tried to talk to Drew. He was really shaken when he saw Chiron faint, and it was evident that he was upset. So I said, "Drew, don't feel bad. I had a similar reaction 4 years ago when everyone found out I was the son of poseidon. It was as if I was a big mistake."

Drew replied, head in his hands, "yeah, but all that is forgotten now. You will be remembered as the saviour of Olympus, not a mistake. But the way Chiron reacted to me, i- it was as if I was a curse. Being dyslexic and ADHD, I didn't fit into the mortal world. I thought I would fit in better here, but it doesn't seem so."

"Maybe," I said, "it's because people doubt us, we become great."

"but if Chiron is dead," he said, voice muffled by his hands, "I will never be able to forgive myself."

"I'm sure he won't be," I said keeping his spirits up, "do you want to show me some magic tricks to pass the time?"

He punched me in the arm, but I could see that he had cheered up a bit. "Tell you what,

" I said, "why don't you tell me about your past before camp?"

"yeah, okay," he said. "But why don't I show you it instead? It won't hurt." He said, when he saw my wary expression. "just lie on the bed and close your eyes," he instructed. The dream will come to you."

He rested his hands on my forehead as I closed my eyes. For once, my dreams weren't messages that haunted me. I kept falling and falling, until I fell down on a street. It was a sunny day, and lots of kids were playing on the street, all apart from one. I assumed that would be Drew. All demigods were excluded. I was mesmerized by the scene in front of me, but when I tried to interrupt their game or talk to drew, I either got thrown back by something like an invisible beach ball, or the kids didn't even hear me. A voice behind me suddenly said, "you can't interrupt a dream Percy. But what do you think of Los Angeles? It's every kids' dream home. Hollywood, Santa Monica...Apart from mine." he added bitterly

"no kidding," I said. "it must suck, living near mount tam and right above the underworld."

"yeah, and it's really hard to fit in with the kids. They all take advantage of the fact that they're rich. I can't help that my dad is just a psychiatrist for dreams and a writer for dream books. I mean, I was rich, but apparently not in the right way. They call me Dreamy Drew at school, and only Grover and Flavia were my friends."

That shocked me. Grover was his satyr? He must have been the powerful kid Grover was talking about in the last letter when he was in California. Chiron had been really worried about being near the Bay Area last year, but Grover had insisted. But that wasn't the thing that had caught my attention. It was actually the name Flavia. It was just like the girl's name in my dream. So I asked, "Flavia? Is she a demigod?"

"At first I thought she was. I mean she showed all the signs: she believed in the gods, was ADHD and she was dyslexic. But her dyslexia was always better than mine. But the strange thing was, she wasn't good at Greek, but she aced all her Latin exams. I mean, that's normal, but she believed in the gods in their Roman aspect."

"but the romans faded a long time ago. And anyways, why didn't Grover pick her up?"

"I don't know. But when I didn't see her at camp halfblood, I decided she wasn't a demigod."

"Hmmph. But she sure sounds like one. If she is, who do you think her godly parent is?"

"I'd say Athena. You know, with the blond hair and gray eyes? And she was a really good strategist. In PE, she would never let a competition start without a plan. And they'd usually work, so you always want to be on a team with her. She's a really good artist too, like buildings and stuff."

I smiled. That sounded exactly like Annabeth. But one thing was still bothering me. How could the gods have not found out who he was? For Grover to notice his scent- he must have had a bad monster after him. "Who was the monster who chased you to camp?" I asked. Seeing the dark look on his face, I could guess who it was. "No, not the cyclops." I said, mentally face palming myself. A cyclops is a satyrs' worst nightmare, because cyclops tend to eat them. Grover has had a bad experience with Polyphemus, and he's still slightly terrified by Tyson. "can I see what happened?" I asked. Bad question.

He clenched his fists, and his face turned livid. He said, through clenched teeth, "Percy, I can sense the reason why you want to know. But some things are better not to be learnt about. If you really have the desire to know about my past, then go ahead. But would you mind," here his voice cracked, " me leaving the dream? I-I can't bear seeing it again."

"Sure Drew. I really don't mind not seeing it though, if it upsets you."

"No. I think it's time for me to share about my past. There's no point of fearing it, since it's done. Now, all you have to do, is to hold on tight to your memories. You don't want your to mix up with mine, because they are fairly similar." He then snapped his fingers, and I felt like I was falling into an eternal black hole. The last thing I remembered was him whistling and vanishing from the dream.

When I finally fell on solid ground again, I found myself on Santa Monica facing Drew and Grover. Drew was holding a piece of paper and was trembling as they stood on the beach. Grover was munching a tin van staring fearfully. I guess he was reminiscing the time when I defeated Ares. Suddenly, the fog cleared and we could see a man tied to a lifeguard pole. Drew saw him, and cried, "Dad!" The man groaned. Seeing Drew, he sent a clear message with his eyes: stay away. But Drew wouldn't listen. He dropped the note and ran forward, untying the ropes which bound his father. I picked up the note, and I saw that it said: Come to Santa Monica beach, if you ever want your father to live again. That was typical of Cyclopes. They would lure the demigods in, and try to-

I heard a scream. It was Drew's. A cyclops had appeared, and he said in his father's voice, "Well, come on Drew. I won't hurt you. I'm your father remember? Your father who's about to eat you!" I snarled and lunged at Drew and his father. His father reached out and materialised a sword, black as night. Colours danced on it, as if it had a life of it's on. He charged at the giant, yelling, "For Morpheus!" Unfortunately, after he had slain one Cyclopes, another appeared. "Lesson number one, Marcus," he snarled in Drew's voice. "Cyclops travel in families. Number two," he said, "we stop at nothing to get our prey." he then ripped his father in two.

"No!" Drew screamed defiantly. Suddenly, ropes curled from his hands, but they were deep violet. They reached out for all the Cyclopes, 3 of them, and ensnared them as Mr D had done with the Manticore a few years ago. When their immortal essence finally dispersed, Drew broke down crying, with Grover at his side. A woman suddenly appeared on the beach, and with a flick of her hands, transported Drew to camp. Then scene suddenly changed to the borders of Camp Halfblood.

There was Drew, holding his father's sword, back to back with Grover, fighting the monsters off. Drew was slashing and hacking like some Ares kid. But most kids get an adrenaline rush when they meet monsters. If I didn't have mine, I would be in the Underworld, and the Titans would be reigning. A dracaena suddenly lunged at Grover's throat, her talons wrapping firmly around it, dragging Grover to the back of the monster lines. Drew saw this happening out of the corner of his eye, and yelled, "Leave him be! Take me! I know you're the one that you want! I surrender!"

The dracanae's eyes widened, and she hissed with a grin, "You are brave, young one. Porphyrion will reward and honor you greatly for coming with us. As for your friend," she said dismissively, "He is your enemy. We will save your trouble by killing him now. Eat him." she commanded her army.

"You will not eat my friend." said Drew, in a terrifyingly calm voice. He seemed to be wrapped in layers of darkness, engulfing him. In the darkness, the monsters could see their worst fears- ghosts of themselves in Tartarus. Even the dracaena looked uneasy. Grover was lying on the ground, forgotten, as the monsters stared at what seemed to be their hell. With a terrible scream, Drew unleashed the power within him. The place was engulfed with darkness, and he rose, the only light, chanting incantations, chanting about the birth of Gaea and Ouranos from Chaos, and Tartarus from Gaea and them being lovers. Then, with the final sentence, "I bind you to the chasm of Tartarus, where you will be locked away for eternity." the monsters wailed as their essence was sucked away into the darkness. Drew fell to the ground in exhaustion, and Grover lay beside him muttering Hellp. Percy. Outside. . Fallen. Desperate. Please. Help.

Smoke was curling off Drew's body, and he was breathing raggedly. 3 figures emerged from the boundaries of Camp Halfblood. One was definitely Chiron in his centaur form. But, I couldn't make out who the other two were. They both had familiar figures. Suddenly, one said, "Chiron, I'm sure I felt something with my empathy link. Grover must be in trouble." With a jolt, I realized I was staring at myself. Black hair, green eyes. Who else could it be?

"But how is that possible Percy?" said Chiron. "Grover was last heard of in California. Unless-"

The 3rd figure suddenly swayed, and staggered towards the body of Drew and collapsed. I (in that scene) ran over, and shook him by his shoulders. "Nico, Nico can you hear me? What's happening?"

"His life force Percy," he said urgently and weakly, "it's fading fast. Bring him in. Get will or Chiron to work on him before it's too late. He's still conscious."

The dream abruptly ended with me staring at my own sea green eyes. I felt like I was being ripped out of something, and I suddenly woke up, gasping for breath, sweat trickling down my forehead. I sat up from the bed, and I faced Drew. "sorry for taking you out og your blissful dream Percy," he said with a half smile, "but you see-"

"I'm fine Percy." a voice interrupted. I sighed in relief.


	11. Chapter 10

**X An unscheduled meeting with the "enemy" **

I scrambled out of bed at the sound of Chiron's voice. To be honest, he wasn't looking so good. Well, I guess a horse on a hospital would not be comfortable and would just plain weird. When I saw him, I when I saw him, I couldn't help laughing. He looked offended, so I quickly stopped and asked him, "Chiron, are you feeling alright?"

He glanced at me with feeble eyes and said, "Percy, I remember seeing a grandson of Morpheus who was also son of Hecate. Was this all a dream? Then his eyes fell on Drew, and they widened. He sat up abruptly, and for once in 3 months, I saw fear in his eyes. "Not possible," he said stuttering. "but now that they've claimed him, there's no stopping the Gods' wraths. Thunder boomed overhead, and the waves crashed louder on the shore. A shadow suddenly appeared in the infirmary. Nico stumbled and grasped the bed for support. "Dad. Not. Happy." he gasped. He took a deep breath and said, "Phew, that's better. What I'm trying to say is, my dad just IMed me, and he didn't seem to be happy." The afternoon sunlight suddenly darkened, but it turned bright again. "Anyone care to explain?"

"Well," said Chiron, "I thinly hat we all want the proper story. Drew. Percy. Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"He will," said a feminine voice behind me. I flinched, and I saw a woman wearing a black chiton with images dancing on it, like an oil painting, with her mahogany hair twisted elegantly in a bun. Her eyes were mesmerizing. One second they were like ice. Then fire, earth. She radiated power, and magic."You're Hecate." I managed to say.

"Percy, could I talk to you for a minute?" said Hecate. Her lips stretched into a thin smile. I'm glad that she hadnt blasted me into smithereens, considering that she was supporting the Titans and I beat them along with the rest of cam in the battle of Manhattan.

"Yes ma'am." I said nervously. What did she want with me? Please don't leave me alone Nico. Please don't leave-

"Uh, Perce, I'm gonna go and help Anna with the plans, okay?" said nico. Uhhh, great timing on your part Nico.

"Perhaps you can bring Drew with you Nico?" said Hecate, her voice kinder. "Could you teach him the powers of darkness and necromancy properly?"

"sure," said nico, unsure. He looked at me, and I nodded at him. Unfortunately, he had to drag Drew out, because Drew was still staring at Hecate, saying over and over, "You're my mother?"

"Come Percy. I won't hurt you my vendetta for you and Olympus is over. I must thank you and your half brother Tyson for the Hecate cabin. It's exactly how I like it." we suddenly teleported outside the cabin. She patted the ground next to where she was sitting, and I hesitantly sat next to her. Even though she looked like a regular mom right now, I was still wary of her.

"Where should I begin?" said Hecate, fiddling with her hair. "Well, I fell in love with Drew's dad, which was forbidden, because Zeus was afraid of his power."

"is he like a threat to Olympus?" I asked.

"The council are afraid that Morpheus and I would want to make drew into a weapon. You see, even though his power won't ever be as potent as yours, I'm sure you've seen how he can combine two powers into one. Imagine, if the blood of the council combined."

I could see what she meant. If they ever supported another supernatural cause that wanted to overthrow Olympus, they would be unstoppable. Demigods, even Gods could be wiped out.

"Yes," said Hecate. "you see why they want to kill him. But I can't bear to see my son harmed in any way. This is where you come in."

"me?" I asked. "what can I do? And how am I supposed to know that you will never turn Drew against Camp?"

"well, there's always this." said Hecate. She picked a stone from the ground and breathed on it. She then whispered to it, "I swear on the river Styx never to turn Drew into a weapon. I promise never to turn against Olympus. This bond will stay true, and unless Percy Jackson sees fit to break it or has turned against my son Drew." the stone shimmered, and it flew to my hand. The stone had transformed from an ordinary looking rock to one that was purplish black, with a trident engraved on it.

"Satisfied? Now hold the rock in your palm." I put it there, and suddenly there was a seeing pain. I now had a tattoo on my palm of a trident with a circle. "if you ever betray Drew," she said, eyes flashing dangerously, "the tattoo will burn. Not even the curse of Achilles can withstand this magic."

"Is that all you want to tell me? Because I think you should spend a bit of time with Drew." I said.

"And we shall. Give this drew for me. She gave me a velvet pouch, black as night. There will be a note inside it and he will know what to do." she gave me sad smile. "I think you know why I can't talk to him. Zeus would kill me." thunder boomed overhead. "Yes he will," I said.

"that means I have to leave." said Hecate. She looked at me in the eye and said, "I'm sorry for what I did to you last summer. All of you. It was only because I felt my children were being neglected. It was my jealousy, but I think I was right. But you, Percy. You have great courage and loyalty. So I have left you a present on your bed. I hope you find it useful"

"Wait!" I screamed. But it was useless. She vanished into the air, leaving no sign of her again. Suddenly out of nowhere, a package dropped onto my head. "ow," I muttered, rubbing my head. It was addressed to me. I opened it, and it said:

Dear Perseus,

I see that you have met Hecate. I will not disturb your day, but I would just like to say that if you don't help drew, you will not only burn up, you will be tormented by dreams. Don't take this as a joke. I will speak further tonight.

Morpheus

Well that made a whole lot of sense didn't it? I thought sarcastically to myself. What did he mean by tonight? I'll see what happens then. I headed over to the Athena cabin, where they were planning for Capture the Flag tonight. Annabeth, being head of the Athena cabin,was head strategist. When Malcolm opened the door, Annabeth just screamed, "Come in!" I took that as a bad sign. So I went in, and braced myself for Annabeth's temper.


	12. Chapter 12

XI we come up with a good plan.

When I got to the bed, I noticed that everyone was wearing full armor and were stepping at least a meter away from her. When you get on her bad side, she tends to knife you. Even me, her boyfriend. When she saw me, she moaned. "None of the plans will work Percy, none of them! She steamed and she through a wadded up plan at me. I duck, and I narrowly missed the flying projectile. "Come on Annie, how would you know. All of your plans work out in the end. Let's see them."

"Fine," she groaned. She turned on the projector, and on the screen, I saw the forest, with Zeus's fist at the very back. I was speechless. This was amazing! Everyone was at a loss for words, apart from the smirking Athena cabins. "When each cabin got their different presents, our mom gave us this. We just have to write or transfer our schematics from the laptop or on the interactive board, and the board will locate our thing. It provides an almost life- like animations with real life people you can choose from. Watch the first plan"

The forest was dark. We saw Nico and I on the left flank, ready for defence and attack. We suddenly heard whooping noises from behind us. Clarisse was carrying the flag, flaunting it in front of us. We raced after her, I was close on her heels, while Nico shadow travelled. Suddenly, Annabeth appeared and gutted her in the stomach. As she was still conscious, the Hecate campers put her in a dream and sent her to prison. We brought the flag back to our base.

On the other side of the forest, Connor and Travis were leading the raid party. The Nemesis people were flanking them. Mark and Sherman were guarding the flags, and so was Jake and Nyssa. They were using some sort of tracking device, so they were able to sense Connor and Travis's presence. They were then caught by an ambush from behind, and the whole raid party was captured and sent to their prison.

The scene turned black. That was the end of the movie. That was so realistic, I was almost fooled that we had filmed it. But obviously not. "You see!" Annabeth cried. "They all end like that. WE HAVE TO WIN! We can't lose to the idiots in Ares! No offense." she said, glancing at Chris. He shrugged.

"Well," Connor said shakily, attempting to make a joke, "at least she isn't looking for you to kill. Sorry what I did to you Chris."

"It's okay," said Chris. he looked thoughtful. After a while, he said, "Hey Annabeth, why don't we use Connor as a decoy? Like make a fake and real Connor. Remember at Percy's first capture the flag?"

Realization dawned on Annabeth's face. She understood, as did I. She knew what to do. Her hand flew across the paper so quickly, in a minute she was done. We watched as she scanned the blueprint onto the computer and loaded the projector. This time, she just showed us without the video.

"first, we will get the Hecate cabin to transform the looks of Percy and Connor. Percy will be put on left flank, and Connor on the right. Travis, you'll accompany Percy so it'll look like Percy is really Connor. You will pretend to be the raiding party, so you will be followed closely behind by the Nemesis cabin. Whatever you do there Percy and Travis, I don't mind. Just bring Clarisse and her siblings in. Connor, you will guard the flag, obviously pretending to be Percy. Apollo archers will be behind you. They will probably use some sort of tracking device, so Apollo archers have to be quick. Once either Percy and Connor starts fighting, it will be quite obvious who is who. Meanwhile, Nico, Drew and I will shadow travel into the enemy lines, along with some Hecate campers. Nico will blend into darkness, while I will use my invisibility cap. Drew will put the people to sleep while I will maim them. Then the Hecate cabin will air lift them back to prison. Yu can also use your magic to help, if you have any attacking skills. Then we will shadow travel back, hopefully be flanked by either Percy or someone else, and we'll win. Easy."

We were all amazed. That was such a good plan. I said, "good going, wise girl." she glared at me, but I could tell that she was pleased with the blush creeping on her face.

"But we need to fool Clarisse," said Chris thoughtfully. "I'll go and tell her who the culprit was and of her plans. They'll interrogate me, but if one of you pretends to find me and take me in as traitor, I'll be fine. Anyways, I have Clarisse on my side. She IS head of Ares you know.

Annabeth nodded. "We can do that now. Percy, go flank him. Wait outside. I'm going in with Chris. Everyone else wait here. Actually, drew and nico, come and wait by the Apollo cabin for backup"

We then proceeded to go to the Ares cabin. Chris acted as if he was really angry, and he stormed out of the Athena cabin, screaming, "Curse you Hermes!" Annabeth slipped on her Yankees cap and followed him. Nico,Drew and I pretended to tend the strawberries in the field opposite the Ares cabin. I often wonder why Ares would put his cabin near a field of flowers. Annabeth had brought in a concealed device, so I could hear and see everything they were saying. The three of us huddled together, anxious to watch the video live.

As Chris knocked on the Ares door, loud music was heard. It was Eminem, I think. Whatever it was, the cabin was singing along, and I bet Apollo would go deaf listening to them. Anyways, Joe opened the door and yelled, "Clarisse, it's your boyfriend!" the music stopped abruptly, and snickers could be heard. I could hear Clarisse growling for them to be quiet, and I saw her ask in a gentler tone to Chris (we magicked a bruise in his eye) with shock, "Chris, what happened to you? Come in." Chris went in, and he deliberately left the door open, so that Annabeth could come in. Clarisse then proceeded to close the door behind him.

If youve never seen the Ares cabin, it looks exactly like a military compound. There were bunk beds lined along the sides, and they were covered with combat fatigues. However, they weren't neatly made. In the middle of the room, a large map stood. I'd heard of the map before. It was a present from Ares, and it was magical. You could zone into any point in the world, and take the miniature figurines to plan you're attack. At the back of the room, there was a small arena, and by it's sides lay tons of weapons to choose from. As Chris walked in, the campers hid the map and their plans. I couldn't see them in detail, but they looked pretty confident. But they were going to lose, because as Annabeth puts it, even strength has to bow down to wisdom sometimes. And we have that on our side.

"Who did this to you?" asked Clarisse. She sounded calm, but she had a menacing undertone.

"Connor and Travis. They called me a wimp when they thrashed me in the arena, and when I told them I would rather be on your team, the lunched me and stated me a traitor. Luckily, Percy and Annabeth stood up for me. But I'm done with their team. They have such a rubbish plan, and I'd rather be on your team." he said sounding glum and really convincing. That is the good thing about a child of Hermes. They can lie their way out of anything. Well, ALMOST everything, I guess.

Clarisse said, "I think we could use you. You could be our spy from within. Joe, Sam, bring out the map." they brought it out again, and the image went into the woods of camp halfblood. It's actually a really good strategy thing, but the Athena cabin has a better one. Theirs is more modern. Anyways, Clarisse steered Chris towards the map. She then said,"Tell me what their plans are. In the game, we promise not to hurt you."

Chris pretended to hesitate. He replied, "I don't know. If Percy or Annabeth caught me..."

"I'll pulverize them for you." Clarisse said, answering his question. They won't touch you."

"Okay," Chris pretended to be more relaxed by the news. Suddenly, I was distracted by an owl nibbling on my ear affectionately. It was the sign from Annabeth. Drew, nico and i started strolling towards the Ares cabin. I could hear Chris from the camera, and he was saying, "Connor and Travis will be thr raid party, while Percy is on left defence. For some reason, he isnt using his river as a back up plan..." When the monitor showed Chris feeding fake information to Clarisse, I said in a carrying voice, "Boy, I sure feel bad for Clarisse. We will definitely win." I was practically screaming.

"Yeah," said Nico, echoing my tone. "We have such a good plan that they wont know what's coming for them."

"that is," said drew, bellowing, "unless someone tells the enemy. I have a feeling that Chris might-" he paused. By this time, all the Ares' cabin had their noses pressed to the window. Pretending to peep through, Drew widened his eyes in fake astonishment. "Guys," he faked screamed. "Chris is in there with Clarisse!"

I left my mouth open in mock horror. "He can't do that!" I yelled. We stormed into the Ares cabin, trying to look as murderous as we could, and I yelled, "Chris! How could you do this!"

He held up his hands in mock surrender. "I wasn't doing anything, I swear!"

"Yeah right!" yelled nico, winking at Chris in secret. "Bind him Drew!" Drew snapped his fingers, and ropes ensnared Chris, and a gag also appeared on Chris's mouth. He was then teleported by a strong wind summoned by Drew to the Poseidon cabin. I'm sure that he made sure that all the campers could see Chris like this. If they didn't, they wouldn't believe that Chris had turned "traitor". I prayed to dad, giving him safe passage into the his cabin.

As Chris struggled, Clarisse said to me with a taunting smile," Let him go. You've lost already. We know all your strategies."

"ugh!" I fake grunted, punching the cabin door before I left, Annabeth in front of me, of course. I heard the ares cabin laughing, and we went to the Poseidon cabin immediately. There, Annabeth took of her cap and said, " From what I've seen, our forces are accurately positioned. If my predictions are correct, we will win."

"hey drew," I said, " you can release Chris now." Drew snapped his fingers, and Chris free, and he was coughing. He beamed at us. "That was pretty successful, you know? But now, you have to pretend to guard me or something."

"We'll make a dummy, and pretend that it's you. We'll put the dummy with the archers. Then, we can give you a new face, and you can still fight."

"Cool." said Chris. He grinned evilly. "I'm actually really looking forward to defeating my girlfriend. I can't wait."

The conch horn then sounded for us to go for dinner in the amphitheater. I smiled back at him and said, "Well, you won't have to wait much longer. Then we headed out, the 5 of us, and we kind of scared the Ares people with our peaceful expressions. That was funny. As usual, I sat alone at the Poseidon cabin. I was hyper with excitement. I just couldn't bear a minute longer till the game.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N**

**I'd just like to thank you guys for reviewing and subsribing. Even though it isn't a lot, I really appreciate it. I'm probably going to end this story soon, but I think I'm going to continue with my own version of son of neptune. if you have any suggestions, you can send me a review or something. Anything will be appreciated. Virtual cookies will be sent out to reviewers, and i might even mention you guys! FLAMES ALLOWED. If you want anything to happen in the next chapter, i.e. Capture the flag, you know what to do. Hope you like the chapter :)**

**bigfatmoose**

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><p><strong>XII Before capture the flag<strong>

As we headed towards the amphitheater, we ignored the grins and sneers from the opposing team. Word must have travelled really quickly. Clarisse came up behind me and said menacingly, "Be ready to be beat up PUNK." I simply smiled serenely and said, "I'd like to see you try." Nico and Drew had impassive faces, and they ignored the other campers. Annabeth, however, was looking a bit green. I stopped walking and I turned to face her. "Annie, what's up? We have the perfect plan."

"No," she murmured, "I feel like there's still a glitch somehow, I-"

"Annie, you worry too much." I whispered, missing her hair. I stared into those gorgeous grey eyes with absolute sincerity and I said, "Athena always has a plan. Strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes, no?"

She smiled. She was remembering my first capture the flag. She had used me as bait, as she was doing now, 5 years later. I steered her towards the food, and we took our trays and started to fill them.

Now, obviously, if you ever get to choose where you want to eat, choose Mount Olympus. They have every type of food available. But, since you are usually forbidden to go, stick with camp. It's like a huge buffet. Emphasis on HUGE. We have the usual camp food, but there are stations where the nymphs will (hopefully) whip up something nice for you.I was feeling a bit peckish and I needed all the energy I could get, so I went berserk. I had roast brisket, yorkshire pudding, salad, fries, ice cream and chocolate cake. Even took some sandwiches (not tuna. I'm son of the SEA god, remember?). Every one's mouth was agape as they saw me line up for the sacrifice, even Chiron was a little shocked, but he immediately regained his composure. As I neared the bronze brazier, I thought I saw a girl tending the fire. I pushed my line through the queue, and went and bowed to the girl. "Lady Hestia," I said. "It is an honor."

"Perseus Jackson," said Hestia, regarding me with those warm red eyes too wise and old for her current body, "I hope you fare well?"

"Yes my lady. And you?" I asked, eyes kept on her face. Her look sent me warmth and the feeling of home. She was the goddess of the Hearth, rightful, I suppose.

"Much better. After the war, families have united and became wholesome. Hope is much stronger again." reminding me of the sacrifice I had given to her last summer. "Now are you going to sacrifice or not?" she smiled, giving me a cheeky grin apt for her "age".

I proceeded forward. I scraped the best bit of my food into the brazier. "To Poseidon." I proclaimed loudly. Then I whispered, "Hestia, Hades, Hecate and Hermes." The brazier turned into a warm shade of red, and through the fire, I swear I saw Hestia smile. The brazier smelled like heaven. I'd love to be a god. But being with Annabeth is worth giving that up. I sauntered over to my table, and as usual, sat by myself. Soon, I found myself sitting back to back with Nico. The new Hades table was set next to the Poseidon one. The Poseidon table was embedded with seashell, and it looked as if it was created from a giant seashell. It was polished and sooth, and one of the grooves were perfectly made for me. There were carvings of the sea and horses, typical of Poseidon

The Hades table was actually really cool. the table was made of black obsidian, and it glowed faintly with eerie green lights. The legs of the table was made of bones. I didn't even want to ask Nico what kind of bones they were. But Nico was sitting with ease, irrespective of everyone inching away from his table. His table somehow radiated fear, like his father. As I looked at Nico's hunched figure, I kinda felt sorry for him. He was only 13, and he had gone through so much. He had gone through double as much as I did when I was 14. He noticed me staring and asked blankly, "What?"

"Nothing," I said, ruffling his hair. I turned back and chowed down my food really quickly. I basically inhaled everything. I was in a hurry because Annabeth and I had to carry the banner to the pavilion. She said that she would give me a signal. I hated her signals. They always involved owls or something. And owls generally hate me, considering I'm the son of Poseidon. As I was downing my third glass of vanilla milkshake, someone tapped me lightly on the back. I whipped around. No one was there. I smiled. It was Annabeth with her Yankees cap. No one else could do that. I ran towards my cabin, and I noticed that Nico was standing there. I hadn't even noticed that he had left.

He whispered, "I took a look at Hecate's present. You'll like what you see. See you by the river in 5." he gave me a mischievous smile which made me slightly uneasy. I walked in, and I was greeted by warm salty sea air.

Some people might think that their cabins are better, but nothing can beat the Poseidon cabin, maybe apart from Apollo and the other of the Big Three cabins. My dad repaired the fountain that I had hacked 2 years ago, so the house was filled with salty sea air. There were 20 beds, all with green silken covers. It felt quite lonely in here sometimes, since I'm usually the only occupant. I have the best bed in the house, and it's right next to Tyson's. I have a regular sized bed with drawers for my armor and clothes, and a blue wardrobe. Everything that Tyson has is thrice the size. Nico and I could fit in the bed, but Tyson usually complains that Nico "smells like death", and sleeping with a guy is kind of wrong. As the son of the God of death, I bet Nico was flattered, but I wouldn't be. Who would want ot smell like mouldy skeletons all day? Not me.

I approached my bed. The Poseidon cabin usually gets 3/5 for cleanliness, telling you how clean my bed is. We occasionally get 5/5s, but that's just because Tyson is such a neat freak. This morning, I left my bed with the pillow and blanket strewn about. But now, it's tidily made up, and the sea green sheet has a trim of purple. That was from Hecate, I was guessing. But there was a new thing on my bed. It was a cloak, dark as midnight. It shimmered with purple. I threw it about me, hoping that it was useful, and went out to the river. There, I saw Annabeth, Nico and Drew all in armor, shouting orders. I had only turned up in my Camp Half- blood shirt, thanks to my new invincibility. I felt like an evil guy, sneaking up on them with my cloak. As I neared them, I heard Annabeth saying, "Has anyone seen Percy? He was supposed to be here 10 minutes ago."

I answered squeezing between Connor and Travis, "I'm right here guys. Can't you see me?" "Where?" said Annabeth. Everyone looked around blankly apart from Nico and the Hecate campers, who looked at me straight in the eye. They grinned evilly and Nico said, smirking, "He's right there." "Where? Where is he?" said Annabeth frantically, her eyes wild. Drew swaggered over, and I felt my cloak taken off me. Annabeth gasped and flung herself at me "SEAWEED BRAIN!" Then, she realized that everyone was looking at us and blushed fiercely and said, "Lou Ellen, can you help Percy and the others with the transformation? We only have about 10 minutes.

Lou Ellen dragged me, Chris and Connor over to her cabinmates. I was assigned to Drew, Evangeline and Sabrina. First Drew sprinkled some weird powder on me. "My mom says that you would want this." He smiled and said "Activate!" Suddenly, a Greek armor appeared over my body. I was awestruck. Even though I had invincibility, this was awesome. It was as detailed as Tyson's work. It had engravings of all my adventures. "Thank you Drew," was all I managed to say. I was tongue tied. He smiled and said, "You're welcome. Whenever you say 'activate' the armor will recognize either your voice or mine, and will show itself. It's kind of melded in with your new tattoo, so that can work as a trigger too." I pressed my tattoo and the armor disappeared. "Cool," I said, grinning. "Now it's time for me to look like Connor." The three surrounded me, as another three did to Connor, and they started chanting a prayer to Hecate and Circe in Ancient Greek. I shivered, as they spoke about the origins of magic and mankind. It was eerie and enchanting at the same time, just like Circe's singing. I felt myself grow skinnier, and my fingers grew longer until they were nimble and tapered, just like a thief. When they were done, I found myself looking at myself, but it was actually Connor. "Wow," I said, hearing Connor's voice coming out of my mouth, "this is, well, different." "You think?" snorted Connor grinning at me with my sea- green eyes. We walked back over to Annabeth, where she was talking to a guy I had never seen before. When she saw me in Connor's form, she began to lean forward and… "Hey Annabeth, can you kiss percy when he's back in his own body? Because that would be weird. You're technically kissing me and Percy at the same time. There was an awkward silence as Annabeth pulled away from me. She stood back on the podium and said, "Do we need to review our plan again?Any questions." I raised my, no, Connor's hand and asked, "Who's the guy next to you?"

Annabeth raised her eyebrows and said, "You really are a kelp head. That's chris." "Duh…" echoed Nico, sniggering. I felt my face go red. It was pretty obvious. "Okay guys," I said, trying to regain my dignity, "let's go kick some Ares butt!" Everyone raised their weapons and yelled in approval. We walked into the pavilion where Chiron and Clarisse's team were waiting for us.

"Campers!" said Chiron. "I don't feel the need to repeat what I say every week. But fair warning, no maiming or stealing or sabotaging of any sort, or you will be on KP for the whole week." He seemed to look directly at me. I was confused. I never did anything like that. Travis elbowed me. Oh, right. I was Connor now, so obviously I was branded troublemaker of the camp. I attempted to grin elfishly like Connor and said, "We'll try, Chiron. For the record, KP sucks!" The rest of the Hermes cabin cheered, they needed to keep up the charade.

"Moving on," said Chiron, "The red flag will be located by the river, while the blue flag will be by Zeus's fist. Understood?" Everyone nodded, itching for the game. "Well begin!" The conch horn sounded, and everyone rushed forward, and all Hades broke loose.


End file.
